Panel light socket assembly



Dec. 13, 1955 L. R. WANNER 8 PANEL LIGHT SOCKET ASSEMBLY Filed March 25, 1955 INVENTOR.

LOUIS R. WANNE'R BY WW United States Patent TANEL LIGHTSO CKET ASSEMBLY -Louis=RnWanne13 Warren, Pa., assignor to Sylvania'Elec- -tric Products Inc a "corporation of Massachusetts Application March 23, 1953, Serial No. 344,035

6 Claims. (Cl. 339-126) T his invention relates'to light sockets.

.Injparticulartit relates to such sockets of very small 'sizeadapted 'to be applied to instrument panels.

In these sockets-it is-highly desirable thatthe construc- =tion shall be-simple with as few parts'aspossible and yet provide for-propermountingof the sockets on the panel and for sproperaelectrical contact with the bulb inserted .into thesocket. It is also furtherdesirable to make the :parts-of molded-and -stamped,p'ortions only so that the sockets may be made cheaply. It is to'satisfy these requirements that the novel socket herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing has been contrived. The-subject matter hereinisan improvement on the socket disclosed and claimed in an application filed by Patrick -Alessi, "Serial'No. 343,949, filed concurrently herewith.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an "exploded View of the socket, a'portion bing'insection together-with aview'of a conventional bulb utilized 'with the socket.

Fig. 2 is a sectionthrough an assembled socket and bulb mounted on a panel.

Fig.3 is a rear view of a portion of my socket.

Fig. 4 is a section through a modified form of socket mounted on a panel.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, it will be noted that the socket consists of but three parts, a molded insulating shell section 10, a metallic section 12 press fit or molded into the shell and a metallic plate or base member 14 serving as a means to hold the bulb in place, make electrical contact therewith and act as a means for enabling the attachment of a wire thereto.

The molded shell may be made of any suitable material such as a thermosetting or thermoplastic resin. It is molded to have a recess 16 and a circular opening 18,

functioning to receive the inner combined panel attaching and bulb contact means 12. The recess portion 16 may have a portion of it partake of a hexagonal formation or may merely have opposed chordal walls 20, 20 cooperating with a hexagonal formation 22 on the contact means 12. The contact means has the said hexagonal formation 22 and a hollow cylindrical neck portion 24, the neck portion snugly fitting Within the opening 18 of the shell with the outer end of the neck portion flared over the shell at 26 to ensure retention of the contact means within the shell. The neck portion is further reduced at 28 to provide a projection which may be insorted through a hole in the panel from the rear thereof. The height of the reduced section is designed so that the free edge thereof protrudes slightly beyond the front face of the panel whereat the edge may be spun over the panel or otherwise flattened to hold the socket in place. To permit easier spinning of the edge or flattening over the face of the panel, the inner bevelled portion 29 is provided. To prevent rotation of the socket with respect to the panel, the latter may have a radial keyhole slot cut therein so as to allow some metal of member 12 to engage the Z ,72 7,2 18 :Batented :Dec. 513, .1955

slot during the spinning operation. A circular :recessor channel30iiscprovitled on the shoulderb'etweeniithe wider .portion of the nec'kland ithei'reduce'd zp'ortion' to :allowiifor -:easier formation of :the edge :26 and to provide better electrical contactrof the :socket with a-cconcluctiveipanel, 'if the panel the of metal, and ifithepanelforms'partof the electrical circuit. That is so:since the' thin edge may 'besquashed againstithe panel to conform to irregularities of 1the .zpanl :surface.

Theis'hell :on its exterior has ashoul'dere'd portion :38.

T he 'plate or hase member or contact means 14 'i'sin the-form ofza planar annulus with anlintegral solderingilu'g '39. :Furtherzit has itwo larcua'te walls "40 perpendicular tto ethe plane ofrthe annulusiand each ofthese walls has t-wo lugs -42'bentover the shoulderediportion :38 to effect :n'ght associationtof parts. Tocenahlefa-roun'dedt formation *Of the juncture between .the -'vertical wallsiand the main b'ody :po'rtion to *be utilized whereby the :p'la'te is not weakened by a sharp bend at the junctionandto prevent ichippingaway of the edge -'of the =molded shell section whenlthememberf'l t iszappliediandifastenedito the molded :portion, a second shouldered .portion indicated as "44 is :rnolded into the insulating l-section. Within the annular :ring tportionkof th'e member v14 is struck out :a nib 46 :to engage-within a radialislot'47 in'thesmolded shell'sec- :tion to .therebyzprevent:relative rotation of the she'll and splater member 14. The center portion of the annulus 1 has struck :out therefronvan internally athrea'ded boss '48 extending teward ibut terminating :short or the face of 'the hexagonal portionof theicontactmeniber "12. The bulb =istintende'drto be threaded-into ithe boss =48. The btilb has ithe threaded :portion :50 see (one terminal i and 'a ring menibersl .a's ithezother. .The ring member and threaded :portion are :insulated from one another by a suitable inisulatingtcollarfid. Whentthebulbiis screwed into'the lplat'e member the vring)rnemb'erJSLengages into firm ele'ctrical contact with the "hexagonal portion 22-to thereby complete :the :circuit between the electrodes 1-2 :and 14.

In the modification of Fig. 4, instead of flaring the thinned portion 29 over the panel, a more conventional arrangement such as an exteriorly threaded neck 56 and decorative nut 58 may be employed.

While I have disclosed a specific embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that it may partake of various forms and it is therefore intended that the following claims should not be limited by the specific form of invention herein but only by the limitations imposed therein.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, said first contact member being stepped in external diameter with the largest diametered portion engaging one inner wall of the shell and the edge of the next stepped portion flared over and in contact with the opposed outer wall of the shell.

2. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, the neck portion of said first contact member being stepped to provide said extending neck portion and a second portion of larger diameter, said first contact member also having a flange on said larger diametered portion, the first contact member being secured to said shell by engagement of the flange with an inner face of the shell and by a flaring of the material of said member at the stepped portion over the opposed outer faceof the shell.

3. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, the neck portion of said first contact member being stepped to provide said extending neck portion and a second portion of larger diameter, said first contact member also having a flange on said larger diametered portion, the first contact member being secured to said shell by engagement of the flange with an inner face of the shell and by a flaring of the material of said member at the stepped portion over the opposed outer face of the shell, there being a channel surrounding the neck portion in the surface of the material between the two stepped portions.

4. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, the neck portion of said first contact member being stepped to provide said extending neck portion and a second portion of larger diameter, said first contact member also having a flange on said larger diametered portion, the first contact member being secured to said shell by engagement of the flange with an inner face of the shell and by a flaring of the material of said member at the stepped portion over the opposed outer face of the shell, the flange being noncircular in shape and the shell having a recessed portion also noncircular in shape to house the flange, thereby to prevent relative rotation between the first contact member and shell.

5. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, said shell being stepped exteriorly and said second contact member comprising a base memher and lugs on said base member bent over a stepped portion of the shell, there being registering interlocking formations on opposed faces of the shell and base memher to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

6. A socket comprising an insulating shell, a metallic electrical contact member therein, said member having a hollow neck portion extending a distance beyond an exterior face of the shell for securing the socket to a panel support, and a second contact member on said shell spaced so as to be out of contact with said first member and provided with a threaded bore in registration with said hollow neck portion, said shell being stepped exteriorly and said second contact member comprising a base member and lugs on said base member bent over a stepped portion of the shell, there being a radial slot in the face of the shell opposed to the second contact member and a protuberance on the base member in position to lie within the slot to prevent relative rotation between the shell and the base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,506,063 Herskovitz Aug. 26, 1924 1,610,128 Godley Dec. 7, 1926 1,935,146 Douglas Nov. 14, 1933 2,088,559 Kollsman July 27, 1937 2,278,840 Douglas Apr. 7, 1943 2,652,548 Benander Sept. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 107,600 Australia June 15, 1939 

